My EdTech Life

Why Coraltalk Conversational Learning Beats AI Cheating ft. Melissa Morgan | My EdTech Life 352

Is critical thinking becoming a lost skill in the age of AI? In Episode 352 of My EdTech Life, Dr. Alfonso Mendoza sits down with Melissa Morgan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaannemorgan/], Founder of Coraltalk [https://www.coraltalk.com], to explore why conversation, not content consumption, is the key to real learning. This episode dives deep into why oral assessment, dialogue-based learning, and conversational AI may be the most effective way to combat AI-assisted cheating while actually improving student understanding. Melissa shares the origin story of Coraltalk [https://www.coraltalk.com], inspired by teaching Buddhist monks through dialogue, and explains how speaking out loud strengthens retention, metacognition, and critical thinking. Chapters 0:00 Welcome And Guest Introduction 1:45 Melissa’s Path To Edtech 3:42 Dialogue Over Monologue Insight 6:51 Coraltalk  Mission And Approach 10:25 Combating AI Cheating With Orals 13:22 Teacher Setup And Voice Options 15:45 Student Growth And Learning Artifacts 18:42 Assessment Modes And Adaptive Difficulty 22:37 Classroom Feedback Loops And Data 25:47 Practice, VR Potential, And Efficacy 28:47 Stats On Retention And Critical Thinking 31:02 Teacher Sentiment And Adoption 33:52 Privacy, Compliance, And Trust 36:37 Efficiency Gains And Small-Group Teaching 39:57 Misconceptions: AI Replacing Teachers 42:29 Human Connection And Lasting Impact 44:39 Lightning Round: Kryptonite, Billboard, Swap 47:44 Closing, Thanks And Resources Sponsor Shoutout Thank you to our sponsors: Book Creator [https://bookcreator.com/?utm_campaign=4566333-H1%202025%20Be%20an%20Author%20Month&utm_source=myedtechlife&utm_medium=podcast], Eduaide.A [https://www.eduaide.ai/]I, and Peel Back Education [https://www.peelbackeducation.com/] for supporting My EdTech Life. Get 3 Months of Book Creator Premium Access Free! Use Code: MyEdTechLife Stay Techie ✌️ Peel Back Education [https://www.peelbackeducation.com/] exists to uncover, share, and amplify powerful, authentic stories from inside classrooms and beyond, helping educators, learners, and the wider community connect meaningfully with the people and ideas shaping education today. Authentic engagement, inclusion, and learning across the curriculum for ALL your students. Teachers love Book Creator. [https://bookcreator.com/?utm_campaign=4566333-H1%202025%20Be%20an%20Author%20Month&utm_source=myedtechlife&utm_medium=podcast] Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/myedtechlife]

Why EdTech Usage Doesn’t Equal Impact ft. Dr. Paula Cushanick | My EdTech Life 351

Why EdTech Usage Doesn’t Equal Impact ft. Dr. Paula Cushanick  In this episode of My EdTech Life, I sit down with Dr. Paula Cushanick, known as Dr. C on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.cushanick], to unpack one of the most misunderstood ideas in education technology: EdTech usage does NOT equal impact. Districts often measure success through logins, minutes, and usage reports because they’re easy to pull. But Dr. Cushanick’s [https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.cushanick] research and classroom experience tell a very different story. In this conversation, we dig into what actually drives student growth, especially for emergent bilingual learners, and why equity must mean access and effectiveness, not just access alone. Questions We Explore: 1. How should districts really measure EdTech effectiveness? 2. What does meaningful equity look like in digital learning? 3. Why do some students log thousands of minutes with no growth? 4. How can districts support teachers beyond “one-and-done” PD? 5. What are the consequences of bad implementation for students? Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Dr. Paula Cushanick 03:21 Dr. Koshanek's Journey in Education 06:21 Research Insights on Technology and Language Acquisition 11:39 The Importance of Intentional Technology Use 16:50 Measuring Implementation Effectiveness 20:20 Consequences of Poor Implementation in the Classroom 24:26 The Importance of Language Output 26:33 Technology's Role in Immediate Feedback 32:21 Misconceptions About Bilingual Learners 36:31 Creating Supportive Educational Systems Sponsors Shoutout Thank you to our sponsors: Book Creator, Eduaide.AI, and Peel Back Education for supporting My EdTech Life. Peel Back Education [https://www.peelbackeducation.com/] exists to uncover, share, and amplify powerful, authentic stories from inside classrooms and beyond, helping educators, learners, and the wider community connect meaningfully with the people and ideas shaping education today. Authentic engagement, inclusion, and learning across the curriculum for ALL your students. Teachers love Book Creator. [https://bookcreator.com/?utm_campaign=4566333-H1%202025%20Be%20an%20Author%20Month&utm_source=myedtechlife&utm_medium=podcast] Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/myedtechlife]

AI Literacy Isn’t “One More Thing” ft. Lindy Hockenbary | My EdTech Life 350

In Episode 350 of My EdTech Life, Dr. Alfonso “Fonz” Mendoza sits down with Lindy Hockenbary (LindyHoc) [https://www.lindyhoc.com/], a K–12 EdTech advisor, strategist, and professional learning leader known for helping teachers make technology work for real learning. This conversation goes straight to the issues educators actually face, the “one more thing” overload, AI misconceptions, and how to move beyond AI detectors toward authentic assessments students can’t fake. Lindy [https://www.lindyhoc.com/] breaks down how AI literacy fits inside core instruction (not as a separate add-on), why we must redesign assessment to emphasize process over product, and how tools with guardrails + teacher dashboards change what “safe classroom AI use” can look like. You’ll also hear why Lindy’s [https://www.lindyhoc.com/] work is especially grounded in small and rural schools, where staffing, compliance review, and budget constraints make AI adoption harder, but also more urgent. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction 02:05 Lindy Hockenbary's Educational Journey 04:57 The Impact of Technology on Education 09:19 Changing Mindsets in Education 11:00 Integrating AI into Core Curriculum 16:42 Redesigning Assessment in the Age of AI 23:37 Authenticity in Learning and AI Challenges 24:24 Misconceptions About AI in Education 25:52 AI Literacy and Compliance in Teaching 31:58 The Impact of ChatGPT on Educators 36:00 Challenges in Rural Education and AI Adoption 40:39 Final Thoughts and Future Directions Lindy’s website: https://www.lindyhoc.com/ [https://www.lindyhoc.com/] Make EdTech 100 podcast page: https://www.lindyhoc.com/podcast [https://www.lindyhoc.com/podcast] Sponsors Shoutout Thank you to our sponsors: Book Creator, [https://bookcreator.com/?utm_campaign=4566333-H1%202025%20Be%20an%20Author%20Month&utm_source=myedtechlife&utm_medium=podcast] Eduaide.AI [https://www.eduaide.ai/], and Peel Back Education [https://www.peelbackeducation.com/] for supporting My EdTech Life. Peel Back Education [https://www.peelbackeducation.com/] exists to uncover, share, and amplify powerful, authentic stories from inside classrooms and beyond, helping educators, learners, and the wider community connect meaningfully with the people and ideas shaping education today. Authentic engagement, inclusion, and learning across the curriculum for ALL your students. Teachers love Book Creator. [https://bookcreator.com/?utm_campaign=4566333-H1%202025%20Be%20an%20Author%20Month&utm_source=myedtechlife&utm_medium=podcast] Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/myedtechlife]

How Mega Minds Brings Real-World CTE to Classrooms ft. Eric Tao & Austin Levinson | My EdTech Life 349

How Mega Minds Brings Real-World CTE to Classrooms ft. Eric Tao & Austin Levinson | My EdTech Life 349 In Episode 349 of My EdTech Life, Dr. Alfonso “Fonz” Mendoza sits down with Eric Tao [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetaooferic/], Founder & CEO of Mega Minds [https://gomegaminds.com/], and Austin Levinson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-levinson-innovator/], veteran educator and learning designer, to unpack how immersive AI-powered simulations are reshaping Career and Technical Education (CTE). This conversation goes beyond AI hype. Eric [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetaooferic/] and Austin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-levinson-innovator/]explain why most AI tools in education focus on productivity instead of learning and how immersive environments can restore student engagement, agency, and real-world skill development. We explore how Mega Minds [https://gomegaminds.com/] uses AI characters, simulations, and 3D environments to help students practice CTE skills safely before entering real workplaces. From healthcare triage simulations to job interviews, retail scenarios, and construction environments, students are learning through experience, not worksheets. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Guest Introductions 02:30 Exploring MegaMinds [https://gomegaminds.com/]: An Overview 04:49 The Role of Engagement in Education 07:03 The Future of EdTech and AI in Learning 10:39 Data-Driven Insights for Teachers 13:45 The Importance of Student Agency 18:10 Creating Safe Spaces for Learning 20:38 Real-World Applications of MegaMinds 27:46 CTE Lessons and Immersive Experiences 33:05 Experiential Learning in Healthcare Education 38:32 The Role of AI in Education 42:39 Understanding AI Bias Through Immersive Learning 48:38 AI Literacy and Its Importance in Education 53:43 Final Thoughts and Future Directions Mega Minds Resources Mentioned in Episode MegaMinds Website [http://gomegaminds.com/] Free AI Literacy Pilot Info [https://gomegaminds.com/ai-literacy/] Sponsors Shoutout Thank you to our sponsors: Book Creator [https://bookcreator.com/?utm_campaign=4566333-H1%202025%20Be%20an%20Author%20Month&utm_source=myedtechlife&utm_medium=podcast], Eduaide.AI [https://www.eduaide.ai/], and Peel Back Education [https://www.peelbackeducation.com/] for supporting My EdTech Life. Peel Back Education [https://www.peelbackeducation.com/] exists to uncover, share, and amplify powerful, authentic stories from inside classrooms and beyond, helping educators, learners, and the wider community connect meaningfully with the people and ideas shaping education today. Authentic engagement, inclusion, and learning across the curriculum for ALL your students. Teachers love Book Creator. [https://bookcreator.com/?utm_campaign=4566333-H1%202025%20Be%20an%20Author%20Month&utm_source=myedtechlife&utm_medium=podcast] Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/myedtechlife]

The Framework Every CTE Teacher Needs ft. Tisha Richmond | My EdTech Life 348

Career and Technical Education is often overlooked, misunderstood, or siloed. In this episode of My EdTech Life, Dr. Alfonso Mendoza [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amendoza1381/] sits down with Tisha Richmond [https://www.tisharichmond.com/], veteran CTE educator and author of The Magical CTE Classroom [https://amzn.to/48Iy6SY], to unpack what meaningful, joyful, and real-world CTE learning actually looks like. Tisha shares her journey from the classroom to edtech and back again, why CTE teachers face unique challenges, and how intentional design can transform labs, kitchens, workshops, and hands-on learning spaces into powerful environments for creativity, collaboration, and career readiness. This conversation explores how CTE classrooms can move beyond compliance and certifications toward engagement, student agency, and authentic learning experiences that prepare students for the real world of work. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Welcome to My EdTech Life 02:10 – Who Is Tisha Richmond 05:20 – From Industry to the CTE Classroom 08:45 – Why CTE Teachers Feel Siloed 12:30 – The Story Behind The Magical CTE Classroom 16:10 – The MAGICAL Framework Explained 21:40 – Gamifying Vocabulary in CTE 26:30 – Safety, Structure, and Lab-Based Learning 31:20 – Industry Certifications and Real-World Skills 36:10 – Teaching Employability Through Play 41:10 – Challenges Facing CTE Educators Today 45:30 – Where to Find Tisha’s Work 48:00 – Final Thoughts and Stay Techie Connect with Tisha Richmond: Website: tisharichmond.com [https://www.tisharichmond.com/] LinkedIn: Tisha Richmond [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tishrich/] Instagram: @tisharichmond [https://www.instagram.com/makelearningmagical/] About the Host: Dr. Alfonso Mendoza [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amendoza1381/] is the host of My EdTech Life, a podcast amplifying educator voices and exploring how technology, creativity, and intentional design shape learning experiences. 👉 Subscribe for conversations that move beyond buzzwords and focus on what actually works in classrooms. Peel Back Education [https://www.peelbackeducation.com/] exists to uncover, share, and amplify powerful, authentic stories from inside classrooms and beyond, helping educators, learners, and the wider community connect meaningfully with the people and ideas shaping education today. Authentic engagement, inclusion, and learning across the curriculum for ALL your students. Teachers love Book Creator. [https://bookcreator.com/?utm_campaign=4566333-H1%202025%20Be%20an%20Author%20Month&utm_source=myedtechlife&utm_medium=podcast] Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/myedtechlife]